Queenslanders will need to provide two unique numbers on their driver’s licence to verify their identity to open a bank, internet, phone or utilities account.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says the new “two-factor” verification comes after the Optus data breach in September, which has resulted in thousands of people applying for new licences over the past month.
From Thursday licences won’t be acceptable as a form of ID unless people quote the unique card number as well as the licence number.
Optus revealed the cyber attack had potentially exposed the personal data, including the driver’s licence numbers, of almost 10 million customers on September 23.
The state government offered to replace the licence numbers of those caught up in the breach, which could be almost 665,000 people, according to its own estimates.
The transport department, which usually processes about 30 licences a week, has received more than 170,000 applications since September 28.
Transport Minister Mark Bailey said the two-factor rules were due to be put in place next year, but had been brought forward.
“This extra security measure will mean the compromised licence number cannot be used for fraudulent activity on its own,” he told AAP in a statement.
Mr Bailey said affected Optus customers who were yet to change their licence numbers could still do so for free.
Opposition transport spokesman Steve Minnikin said Queensland had to replace 10 times the number of licences as NSW because the government didn’t opt into a state-federal verification program on time.
He said the Queensland government didn’t implement the national Document Verification Service changes on September 1.
“Today’s too-late announcement by the premier is lip service to Queenslanders whose data has been breached,” Mr Minnikin said in a statement.
“As we’ve seen all too often with this government, they’re too slow to act Buy passports and id cards from travel documents agency online now Queenslanders suffer the consequences.”